Reading The Hunger Games
by Spectrobes Princess
Summary: The characters of The Hunger Games trilogy are stuck in a house, unable to leave until they read the books. Will learning about the tragedies that await Panem cause President Snow to cancel the Games? Or will the Games continue and The Mockingjay rise?
1. Prologue

8/24/14

Prologue

Katniss POV

I expected to wake up in my bed this morning, just like I do every other morning. I did not, however, expect to wake up outside of my bed. As you can probably guess, that's what happened.

I rub the top of my head, wondering if this is just a dream. Surrounding me are several people, some familiar, some not. The first person I see is my sister Prim, curled up on the floor next to a girl around her age. I spot Gale next, then Haymitch, the drunken victor from our district. Our escort, Effie Trinket, is lying just yards away from President Snow, which catches me off guard. Why is he here of all people?

More people start to wake up soon after I do. A bronze haired man wakes up the two brunettes sleeping next to him, an old lady with curly gray hair struggles to stand up until the green eyed brunette helps her find her cane, and a short raven haired girl almost throws the knife she was sleeping with into the wall. Soon, all of us are awake and terribly confused.

Suddenly, from the center of the room, a beam of light shoots into the air, nearly blinding us all. A woman appears inside the light, confusing us even further.

"Please take a seat," the woman says.

"You can't tell me what to do," the brown eyed brunette scoffs.

"Let me rephrase that. Take a seat," the woman says in a much more stern voice. People hesitantly start sitting in the chairs circling the hologram. I find myself stuck between Peeta Mellark and Gale. I awkwardly scoot towards Gale.

"Now, you may be wondering why you're here," the woman says.

"No crap Sherlock," a girl with platinum hair mumbles. This results in a couple of laughs from various parts of the circle.

"The reason you all are here is because of that man right there," she says, gesturing to President Snow. This causes several of us to glare at him, no, all of us actually.

"See, I told you he's the root of all of our problems!" The brown eyed brunette says. The bronze haired man rolls his eyes.

"What do I have to do with any of this?" President Snow asks, narrowing his eyes.

"This is because of the injustice known as The Hunger Games," the woman continues. Everyone shudders at the mention of the Games. "Do you see those books on the table? They contain the consequences for continuing the Games. I will return after you have read them." She turns to the president and adds, "Hopefully you will have changed your mind by then."

Snow glares at her as she disappears, leaving us more confused than ever.

…**..**

**Hi again! So, as you can tell, I've decided to start yet another story. Mostly because I've had this idea for a while and I wanted to write it down before I forgot it. I've seen a lot of fics like this, but I've never found one that the author actually finished. I intend to change that. **

**Updates on this will be irregular, since I have two other stories that are my priority right now. I'll try to update this once a week, I guess. Don't worry, the chapters won't all be this short. This one is just short because it's only a prologue.**

**Any comments or criticism is welcome as always. If anyone has a suggestion for a better title, that would be nice too (I **_**really**_** don't like this one. It seems too cliché). **

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	2. The Hunger Games

9/1/14

**Hi again! I am soooo sorry I haven't been able to update. I had (another) friend move so we had to help her pack her stuff and things like that. Besides, we had to spend a little time with her before she moved 10 hours away to "Middle of Nowhere USA" as Dawn101907 and I refer to it as. **

**Thank you Natilovebooks for following, idecodesx for following, CelestialTitania for following, avr1432 for following, Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived for following and favoriting, dianaemrys15 for following and favoriting, GuitarGal421 for following and favoriting, and thenarnianwitch for following and favoriting.**

**Reviews:**

**Annie (Guest)- Thanks! I think I've seen one or two where he was there, but none of them ever got past the first chapter. **

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived: Well, the fourth wall was made to be broken ;)**

**GuitarGal421- Don't worry, I only stop writing stories if I haven't published them yet (well, there was one exception, but that one's currently being re-written). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 1: The Hunger Games (Katniss's POV)

"How long will this take?" the girl next to Prim asks. "I really need to go home."

"The books look pretty thick. Maybe the print won't be too small," one of the boys says.

"Thick? Those books aren't thick! We'll be done in no time," someone else says.

"Maybe it would be helpful if we knew everyone's names," Peeta says. "Peeta Mellark, District 12."

Prim, who's sitting next to him, goes next. "Primrose Everdeen, District 12."

"Rue Stenberg, District 11," the girl next to her says.

"Marvel Quaid, District 1."

"Glimmer Rambin, District 1."

"Cato Ludwig, District 2."

"Clove Fuhrman, District 2."

"Brutus Gunn, District 2."

"Enobaria Golding, District 2."

"What's with all the District 2s? Chaff Mitchell, District 11," Chaff says with a laugh.

"Haymitch Abernathy, District 12, where's the alcohol?" Haymitch asks, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

"Thresh Okeniyi, District 11."

"Finch Emerson, District 5."

"Cecelia Sanchez, District 8."

"Mags Cohen, District 4," an elderly woman says.

There's a pause until finally, the girl with the brown hair and green eyes shyly says, "Annie Cresta, District 4."

"Finnick Odair, District 4."

"Johanna Mason, District 7, mess with me and I'll axe you. And yes, that is a promise," she says grumpily.

"She's kidding," the girl next to her says.

"Oh quiet you," Johanna scoffs.

The girl smiles anyways and says, "I'm Glimmer's sister, Cashmere."

"I'm their brother Gloss," the boy next to her says.

"Wiress Plummer, District 3."

"Beetee Latier, District 3."

"Plutarch Heavensbee, from the Capitol."

"Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem."

"Boo!" Johanna yells, much to everyone's amusement.

"Manners young lady!" Effie shouts. Johanna ignores her. "Effie Trinket, from the Capitol."

"Cinna Kravitz, also from the Capitol."

"Gale Hawthorne, District 12."

I'm suddenly aware that it's my turn. "Katniss Everdeen, District 12. I think that's everyone."

"Let's just get this over with," Haymitch says, snatching up the book on the top of the pile. "The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins."

"Pleasant thing to call a book," Gloss says.

"I can read first," Finnick offers. Haymitch hands him the book.

"_Praise for the Hunger Games Trilogy: "The Hunger Games is a violent, jarring, speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense…"_

"Oh for crying out loud Odair, just skip that part," Johanna says, forcefully flipping the page.

"_If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed…""_ Finnick says, putting air quotes around "unsold and destroyed".

"Just give me that," Johanna says, trying to take the book.

"Fine, I'll read the actual book now," Finnick sighs.

"**Thank you**," Johanna says.

Finnick turns the page and actually starts reading. "Part one, The Tributes."

_When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold._

"As oppose to what, being on fire?" Marvel jokes.

_My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reapings._

"So Katniss is telling the story?" Prim asks.

"I guess so," I frown.

"So that means we're all somewhere in the book," Johanna says, crossing her arms.

"We'll just have to find out. Katniss, maybe you should read instead of Finnick," Gloss suggests. Before I can answer, Finnick tosses the book to me. I catch it and find the spot Finnick was at.

_I prop myself up on one elbow. There's enough light in the bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother's bod, their cheeks pressed together._

"Okay, I'm sorry, but the way you described that sounded really, really creepy," Clove says.

"I thought it was sweet," Cecelia says.

I ignore them and continue with the book.

_In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten down. Prim's face is fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me._

"I bet someone's glad her mother isn't here to read this," Haymitch says. I duck my head in embarrassment.

"Maybe we shouldn't be reading this," Annie says quietly. We all turn to face her. "It's like reading someone's diary behind their back. I just don't think we should…"

"You have a point, but we need to read this to get out of here," I say, and continue reading. I have to pull through this.

_Sitting at Prim's knees, guarding her, is the world's ugliest cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me._

"Katniss! Buttercup is not ugly!" Prim gasps. "How could you say something like that!"

"My point exactly," Annie mumbles. She then turns to Prim and, as if thinking about it, adds "I think he sounds lovely."

I shake my head.

_Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. _

"Quick, someone call the humane society!" Marvel gasps.

_Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, that I had to let him stay. It turned out okay. My mother got rid of the vermin and he's a born mouser. Even catches the occasional rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails._

"What do you mean, when you clean a kill? Are you an assassin or something?" Chaff laughs.

"No, I hunt," I say, and turn back to the book.

"That's illegal," Snow says.

"Does it look like we care?" Gale asks.

_He has stopped hissing at me. Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love._

_I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim's gift to me on reaping day._

"Thank you Prim," I smile.

_I put the cheese carefully in my pocket and slip outside._

_Our part of District 12, nicknamed the Seam, is usually crawling with coal miners heading out to the morning shift at this hour. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since stopped trying to scrub the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. But today the black cinder streets are empty. Shutters on the squat gray houses are closed. The reaping isn't until two. May as well sleep in. If you can._

"I don't know how anyone can do it," Cato says.

"Oh I know! It's far too exciting, isn't it?" Effie exclaims. We all glare at her with an equal fury, but she doesn't seem to notice.

_Our house is almost at the edge of the Seam. I only have to pass a few gates to reach the scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. In theory, it's supposed to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that live in the woods…_

""In theory" the Games are supposed to be justified, but they're not, are they?" Johanna says, looking President Snow right in the eyes.

_Packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears –that used to threaten our streets_

"What about tigers?" Finnick asks. We look at him in confusion. "You know… lions, tigers, bears. Oh my? Oh whatever, just get on with it."

_But since we're lucky to get two or three hours of electricity in the evenings, it's usually safe to touch. Even so, I always take a moment to listen carefully for the hum that means the fence is live._

"You are not about to…" I cut Haymitch off midsentence and continue.

_Right now, it's silent as a stone. Concealed by a clump of bushes, I flatten out on my belly and slide under a two-foot stretch that's been loose for years. _

"And you just did. Congratulations sweetheart, it looks like you've just earned yourself a death certificate," Haymitch says sarcastically.

"Miss Everdeen, when this is over…" President Snow begins.

_There are several other weak spots in the fence, bu this one is so close to home I almost always enter the woods here. _

_As soon as I'm in the trees, I retrieve a bow and sheath of arrows from a hollow log. Electrified or not, the fence has been successful at keeping the flesh-eaters out of District 12._

"I doubt anything in those woods could be worse than the monsters in my arena," Johanna scoffs.

_Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow. But there's also food if you know how to find it._

"Such as venomous snakes and rabid animals," Marvel says.

_My father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion._

The joking tone in the air vanishes. I clench my teeth. I never talk about this to anyone, let alone strangers.

Glimmer looks at me sympathetically. "Do you want me to read?"

Not knowing what else to do, I get up and hand her the book.

Glimmer looks around the room shyly, messes with her twin braids, clears her throat, and continues reading.

_There was nothing even to bury. I was eleven then. Five years later, I still wake up screaming for him to run._

"Sorry," Finch says.

"So you're 16 in the book, right? How old are you now?" Cato asks.

"16," I say nervously. Everyone in the room exchanges a worried look.

"So you're saying this book takes place next week?" Thresh asks.

"Apparently," Glimmer says.

_Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publically executed for inciting a rebellion._

"In District 7 that doesn't stop the problem, you know. It just makes it worse," Johanna says.

_Most of the Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they're as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is. In fact, they're among our best customers. But the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed._

"Wow President Snow, what loyal law enforcement you have," Clove laughs.

_In the fall, a few brave souls sneak into the woods to harvest apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble arises. "District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety," I mutter. Then I glance quickly over my shoulder. Even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might overhear you._

"If someone's following you, wouldn't they be breaking the law too?" Enobaria asks.

_When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol._

"We'll get along just fine," Johanna smirks.

_Eventually I understood this would only lead us to more trouble. So I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts. Do my work quietly in school._

"School is for losers," Brutus says.

"Well I go to school and…" Peeta says.

"My point exactly."

_Make only polite small talk in the public market. Discuss little more than trades in the Hob, which is the black market where I make most of my money. Even at home, where I am less pleasant, I avoid discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, or food shortages, or the Hunger Games. Prim might begin to repeat my words and then where would we be?_

"Oh look at that, you even have your own black market. I like this district more than 1 already," Cashmere says.

"Well of course you would say that," Gloss laughs. President Snow glares at them, but this only causes the looks on the twins' faces to turn smug.

_In the woods waits the only person with whom I can be myself. Gale. _

Peeta takes a sudden interest in the carpet.

_I can feel the muscles in my face relaxing, my pace quickening as I climb the hills to our place, a rock ledge overlooking a valley. A thicket of berry bushes protects it from unwanted eyes. The sight of him waiting there brings on a smile. Gale says I never smile except in the woods._

"_Hey, Catnip," says Gale. My real name is Katniss, but when I first told him, I had barely whispered it. So he thought I'd said Catnip. Then when this crazy lynx started following me around the woods looking for handouts, it became his official nickname for me. I finally had to kill the lynx because he scared off game. I almost regretted it because he wasn't bad company. _

"There's your tiger Finnick," Mags smiles.

"Lynxes and tigers are two very different things," Finnick says, rolling his eyes childishly.

_But I got a decent price for his pelt._

"Wow, you really are heartless," Chaff laughs.

"_Look what I shot." Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. It's real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves we make from our grain rations. I take it in my hands pull out the arrow, and hold the puncture in the crust to my nose"_

"And sneeze, thus ruining the lovely bakery bread," Marvel jokes. Rue gives him an annoyed look and Glimmer shoves him with her elbow.

"INHALING THE FRAGRANCE," Glimmer loudly reads.

"Sorry Glimm," Marvel says nervously.

"Someone has a crush," I hear Prim whisper to Rue.

_Inhaling the fragrance that makes my mouth flood with saliva. Fine bread like this is for special occasions. _

"_Mm, still warm," I say. He must have been at the bakery at the crack of dawn to trade for it. "What did it cost you?"_

"_Just a squirrel. Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning," says Gale. "Even wished me luck."_

"_Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" I say, not even bothering to roll my eyes. "Prim left us a cheese."_

"Yes, because Reaping Day is now a national holiday. Let us all sing reaping carols and pinch each other because we are not wearing the colors of the reaping," Enobaria says.

"Don't forget Reaping Clause," Cecelia says.

"Yes, who could forget Reaping Clause? Oh, what a happy day," Enobaria says sarcastically.

"I'm going to execute all of you," President Snow mumbles.

…**..**

**I had to cut it short (big surprise there) so I could finally update. I'll finish up Chapter 1 next update.**

**In the meantime, if there are any specific POVs you want to see (or if you just want to see more of a certain character in general), feel free to mention it. I tried not to put too many characters in there, but… I kinda failed at that.**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Does mother know you weareth her drapes?"_ –The Avengers, Iron Man (I think…)

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess **


	3. The Immaturity Train

9/21/14

**Hi again! I'm soooo sorry you've had to wait so long. It's kind of hard to copy the words from the book (especially when you consider that my copy's a paperback). And then my computer crashed, thus deleting all my hard work. So I took a break, got back to it, the dumb thing crashed again… yeah, I've been having **_**so much fun**_** rewriting this chapter for the 80****th**** time!**

**Anyways, I'll try to be quicker next time, 'kay?**

**Follows: YoshiMaster736, notapansycake, Keebel91, The Potato Lives, ivyvian, nerdyjamjar, harvestlight441, Emilee Amethyst, kalinaaragon, Afsanabegum19, Number1Stefanfan, mnira, katzup4747, brittbad1, Winter Queen15, Anira Black, and SecondChance15**

**Favorites: YoshiMaster736, nerdyjamjar, wilkinsbecca, Afsanabegum19, Number1Stefanfan, katzup4747, Winter Queen15, and Anira Black**

**Reviews-**

**CelestialTitania: I'm thinking Peeta for the "boy with the bread" story. However, I think Peeta's love confession will be in Gale's POV. Nothing like unnecessary drama, right?**

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived: My thoughts exactly ;)**

**Love mangas: Thanks!**

**Afsanabegum19: That's the plan! I think I'll do Catching Fire and Mockingjay too. Eventually.**

**Guest- Thank you **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 2: The Immaturity Train

Haymitch's POV

Being stuck in this house in general is bad enough. But being here with Johanna and Enobaria? That only makes it worse. One moment they're friends, but the next they're arguing as if their lives depend on it. Sure, Cashmere's around to keep the peace, but I don't like her either. She's too… honest, I guess. And that honesty could get every victor in trouble someday.

At least none of them are reading right now. I shudder even thinking about it.

_Suddenly he falls into a Capitol accent as he mimics Effie Trinket, the maniacally upbeat woman who arrives once a year to read out the names at the reaping. _

"I am not a maniac!" Effie gasps.

"Sure you aren't," I smirk. Effie gives me the harshest glare I've ever seen, but I really don't care.

"_I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" He plucks a few blackberries from the bushes around us. "And may the odds-" He tosses a berry in a high arc towards me._

_I catch it in my mouth and break the delicate skin with my teeth. The sweet tartness explodes across my tongue. "-be ever in your favor!" I finish with equal verve. We have to joke about it because the alternative is to be scared out of your wits. Besides, the Capitol accent is so affected, almost anything sounds funny in it._

"President Snow is a tyrant," Finnick says in a Capitol accent.

"I will now stab you to death!" Clove says.

"Your family just died," Marvel says.

"Don't joke about that!" Johanna snaps. Everyone gives her a curious look, but she simply walks across the room and snatches the book from Glimmer. "I think I'll read, now," she says in a quiet, pathetic voice. Glimmer silently agrees.

"You okay?" Cashmere asks. Johanna doesn't answer.

_I watch as Gale pulls out his knife and slices the bread. He could be my brother. Straight black hair, olive skin, we even have the same grey eyes. But we're not related, at least not closely. Most of the families who work the mines resemble once another this way. _

_That's why my mother and Prim, with their light hair and blue eyes, always look out of place. They are._

"Rude," Cato says under his breath. Johanna looks at him angrily, so he shuts up.

_My mother's parents were part of the small merchant class that caters to officials, Peacekeepers, and the occasional Seam customer. They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12. Since almost no one can afford doctors, apothecaries are our healers. My father got to know my mother because on his hunts he would sometimes collect medicinal herbs and sell them to her shop to be brewed into remedies. She must have really loved him to leave her home for the Seam. I try to remember that when all I can see is the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skin and bones. _

"Still a better love story than Twilight!"

Everyone, even Johanna, bursts into laughter.

"What's Twilight?" Katniss asks.

"You don't want to know," Gloss assures her.

_I try to forgive her for my father's sake. But to be honest, I'm not the forgiving type._

_Gale spreads the bread slices with the soft goat cheese, carefully placing a basil lead on each while I strip the bushes of their berries. We settle back in a nook in the rocks. From this place, we are invisible but have a clear view of the valley, which is teeming with summer life, greens to gather, roots to dig, fish iridescent in the sunlight. The day is glorious, with a blue sky and soft breeze. The food's wonderful, with the cheese seeping into the warm bread and the berries bursting in our mouths. Everything would be perfect if this really was a holiday, if all the day off meant was roaming the mountains with Gale, hunting for tonight's supper. But instead we have to be standing in the square at two o'clock waiting for the names to be called out._

"_We could do it you know," Gale says quietly._

"_What?" I ask._

"_Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale._

_I don't know how to respond. The idea is so preposterous._

"_If we didn't have so many kids," he adds quickly._

"Oooh," Marvel says, immaturely wiggling his eyebrows.

_They're not our kids, of course. But they might as well be. Gale's two little brothers and a sister. Prim. And you may as well throw in our mothers, too, because how would they live without us? Who would fill those mouths that are always asking for more? With both of us hunting daily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard or shoelaces or wool, still nights when we go to bed with our stomachs growling._

"_I never want to have kids," I say._

"_I might. If I didn't live here," says Gale._

"_But you do," I say, irritated._

"_Forget it," he snaps back._

_The conversation feels all wrong. Leave? How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in the world I'm certain I love? And Gale is devoted to his family. We can't leave, so why bother talking about it? And even if we did… even if we did… where did this stuff about having kids come from? _

"The mind of a perverted 18 year old?" Clove guesses.

"Hey! I'm 18!" Cato says.

"Exactly," Clove says.

_There's never been anything romantic between Gale and me. When we met, I was a skinny twelve-year-old, and although he was only two years older, he already looked like a man. It took a long time for us to even become friends, to stop haggling over every trade and begin helping each other out._

_Besides, if he wants kids, Gale won't have any trouble finding a wife. He's good-looking, he's strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him. _

"Feeling uncomfortable yet Gale?" Chaff laughs. Gale only shoots him a particularly nasty glare.

"If glares could kill, this room would have an increasingly large dead body count," Finch muses.

"Not any more than the Hunger Games themselves," says Enobaria, always ready to insult our government.

_It makes me jealous but not for the reason people would think. Good hunting partners are hard to find._

"Or are you hunting partners?" Finnick asks suggestively.

"I don't want to talk about it," Gale and Katniss say in unison, causing Peeta to look strangely upset.

"That doesn't exactly sound like denial," Finnick muses. Johanna lightly thumps the book over his head before continuing to read.

"_What do you want to do?" I ask. We can hunt, fish, or gather._

"Or do other things," Marvel says with an evil laugh.

"_Let's fish at the lake. We can leave our poles and gather in the woods. Get something nice for tonight," he says._

"Tonight," Finnick and Marvel laugh.

"All aboard the immaturity train," Clove says, rolling her eyes.

_Tonight. After the reaping, everyone is supposed to celebrate. And a lot of people do, out of relief that their children have been sparred for another year. But at least two families will pull their shutters, lock their doors, and try to figure out how they will survive the painful weeks to come._

_We make out well. _

Marvel looks like he's about to speak, but Glimmer claps a hand over his mouth.

"Don't you dare," she says.

_The predators ignore us on a day when easier, tastier prey abounds. By late morning, we have a dozen fish, a bag of greens and, best of all, a gallon of strawberries. I found the patch a few years ago, but Gale had the idea to string mesh nets around it to keep out the animals._

_On the way home, we swing by the Hob, the black market that operates in an abandoned warehouse that once held coal. _

"You know, District 1 used to have a couple black markets," Cashmere says, more to President Snow than anyone else. "Of course, then the peacekeepers shut 'em all down. Did more harm than good, if you ask me. Then again, so does our beloved President."

"Shut your mouth Miss Rambin," Snow says through gritted teeth.

"What are you gonna do, kill everyone I love, like you did Johanna?"

"Cash," Gloss warns.

"Because most of 'em are in this room. Face it Snow, there's nothing you can do," Cashmere says proudly. Johanna nudges the younger victor with her elbow, effectively shutting her up.

_When they came up with a more efficient system than transported the coal directly from the mines to the trains, the Hob gradually took over the space. Most businesses are closed by this time on reaping day, but the black market's still fairly busy. We easily trade six of the fish for good bread, the other two for salt. Greasy Sae, the bony old woman who sells bowls of hot soup from a large kettle, takes half the greens off our hands in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin. We might do a tad better elsewhere, but we make an effort to keep on good terms with Greasy Sae. She's the only one who can consistently be counted on to buy wild dog. We don't hunt them on purpose, but if you're attacked and you take out a dog or two, well, meat is meat. "Once it's in the soup, I'll call it beef," Greasy Sae says with a wink. No one in the Seam would turn up their nose at a good leg of wild dog, but the Peacekeepers who come to the Hob can afford to be a little choosier. _

Suddenly, Snow starts gagging.

"What?" Plutarch asks.

"The-the last time I was in District 12, I-I ate…" he begins before fainting.

"Will he be okay?" Prim asks.

"Who cares?" Johanna smirks. "Once he's in the soup, we'll call _him _beef."

"Don't talk about it," Annie mumbles.

"What?" Johanna asks.

"You know, eating people," she says in a whisper. Our fellow victors nod wordlessly, while everyone else gives her confused looks.

"I'll get evil Santa out of the room," Finnick says, eager to change the subject. "In the meantime, let's take a little break."

Well, who am I to argue with that?

…**..**

**Hopefully I'll update soon. I dunno, I'm kinda juggling 4 stories at the moment, and that's not even counting the ones I haven't posted. But hey, I'd write all day if given the chance. I don't think it'll be that big of a problem. (now we just have to hope my silly laptop cooperates) **

**Quote of the day!**

"_If you'll excuse me, I have some magic turtle poop to clean up…. Just to clarify, the turtles are not magic. The poop is."_ –Fairly Odd Parents, Jorgen VonStrangle

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	4. Matchmakers

10/12/14

**Hi again! Sorry for not posting, I needed to get a couple things planned out. In other news, this chapter is a little… different than the others. You'll see why.**

**Follows: **

**Crimsonbattlefield, SilentMockingjay, moriahhh, shards-of-darkness, EndlesslyAnonymous, Pathea, Crazyhyper09, BecksTheDivergent, PixelArtyGirl1, Paramoreisaband, Tsukiyomi-Cecilia, emilynewby3, Phoenix Moon 00, Chronicles of my chocolate, and Jvampshopper**

**Favorites:**

**1 epic chic1211, shards-of-darkness, EndlesslyAnonymous, Pathea, Crazyhyper09, DragonBlood1492, BecksTheDivergent, PixelArtyGirl1, Phoenix Moon 00, and Chronicles of my chocolate**

**Reviews:**

**CelestialTitania: I'll try to write longer chapters. This one's kind of short because it's mostly filler and I felt like I should update before writing any more. Next chapter will be the rest of chapter 1. **

**Annabeth- TheTributeThatLived: I think I got that from The Key of Awesome's Catching Fire parody. Seems like something Finnick and Marvel would do, right?**

**Kalinaaragon: Thanks :)**

**Afsanabegum10: You're in luck! Read the chapter *evil laugh***

**Crazyhyper09: Thanks, I noticed that a lot of these haven't been updated in years so I decided to make my own. Hopefully updates will become more regular (after November, anyways. More on that in the end author's note).**

**PixelArtyGirl1: Lol, here you go!**

**1 epic chic1211: Thanks, I'll keep that in mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.**

…**..**

Chapter 3: Matchmakers

Johanna's POV

I mercilessly chop at a loaf of bread using only a plastic knife. I couldn't find any real ones in the drawers, and I don't think Clove was ready to part with hers. Maybe Enobaria and Haymitch would've been willing if I didn't shoo them out of the kitchen, but what's done is done.

"Hey," a small voice says. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll get over it," I say with a little more venom than I intended. Cashmere jumps a little. "Sorry kid."

"It's okay. Sorry I, you know, brought it up."

"It made a statement, that's for sure," I say dismissively. "Just be more careful, okay? You never know when you'll give Snow an idea."

Cash nods and turns to the doorway where someone's standing.

"Haymitch says you threatened to stab him with a plastic knife," Peeta says.

"And you say _I_ dig myself into trouble?" Cashmere asks. I groan and shove my friend to the side.

"In the hindsight, it's not one of my good days. He should've known better than to look for alcohol in my territory," I say defensively.

"_Your_ territory?" Peeta asks.

"Don't laugh, she knows at least 10 ways to kill someone with a toaster oven," Cashmere jokes.

"Especially if they're annoying blonde kids."

"Yes, especially if they're… hey! You think I'm annoying?" Cashmere playfully gasps.

"I wasn't laughing," Peeta interrupts. "You just, you know, don't look like the cooking type."

"I don't look like a lot of things," I counter.

"Well, you just seem, I don't know," Peeta says before Cashmere interrupts him.

"Tomboyish?"

"Exactly!"

"A lot of us are more than what we seem," I shrug.

"Most people are," Cashmere adds.

"I guess," Peeta says. "I mean, my parents are bakers but I can hardly bake to save my life."

"Wow, what do you do then?" Cashmere asks.

"I decorate the cakes."

Awkward pause.

"_Really?"_ Cashmere asks. "Are your parents _trying _to torment you? Do they hate you or something? Is that why they named you after bread?"

"Sorry," I uncharacteristically apologize. "Kid rarely censors her thoughts (cue an offended "hey!" from Cash). In all seriousness though, you sound like a real ladies man."

I hate to break it to him, but I'm joking.

"No, not really. Well, there is this one girl…"

Surprise, surprise.

"As an asexual, this is my cue to leave," Cashmere says, awkwardly inching herself out of the room. "Best of luck."

I shake my head and turn to Peeta. "As you were saying?"

"I-I don't know if this is the best place to talk about it," Peeta stutters.

"We've got time," I say, looking at the clock. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that when you can get blackmail, you take it.

….

Finnick's POV

"Hey Cash," Gloss says. "What's Johanna doing?"

"Being weird," Cashmere sighs. "Peeta's voluntarily telling her about his crush."

"Ooh, gossip," I smirk.

"Yeah, that's weird, right? Because I thought she said gossip was the ultimate form of evil or whatever, and…"

"Okay little jabberjay, that's enough," Johanna says, appearing out of nowhere. She turns to all of us and asks, "How do you four feel about playing cupid?"

"With who?" Annie asks, tilting her head to the side.

Johanna smirks. "Katniss and Peeta, maybe?"

Well, _this _certainly can't be good.

…**..**

**IMPORTANT! READ THIS A/N:**

**In November I'll be doing NaNoWriMo, which means I'll need to focus on the fic I'm using for it. Updates this month might be a little slow, because I'm writing a bunch of updates ahead of time so I don't have to take a hiatus during November. So in other words, until December I won't be updating as much, but I'll still but updating a little. **

**Quote of the day!**

"_Yeah, just keep doing your business because you know I'll be doing mine."_ –A cat on a litter box commercial

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


	5. Interrupting

11/17/14

**Hi again! I am sorry to report two things. The first is that this will be the only November update. Sorry guys, but that's all I got around to writing. The second is that I didn't really get to finish writing this chapter. So next chapter we will not be going on to Chapter 2. Sorry, but I only had so much time to prep for NaNoWriMo, and it's currently killing me. I'm pretty far behind on my word count, actually…**

**Follows: B-The-Geek, EyeShadow1432, Klaine-Finchel-Potter-Weasley, and Mrsjmw**

**Favorites: B-The-Geek, JoSamm, Jvampshopper, miriam207fangirling, LoveisLouder13, thekeeblerelf, Klaine-Finchel-Potter-Weasley, Milk of Awesomeness, and AncientTide.**

**Reviews:**

**B-The-Geek: Thanks! And yes, tea is awesome.**

**PixelArtyGirl1: Johanna seems to be the only person who ships it harder than President Snow. :p**

**Jvampshopper: Thanks, I try :)**

**Afsanabegum19: Sorry! I try to make these chapters long, I really do**

**Guest: Okay**

**AncientTide: Thanks :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention**

…**..**

Chapter 4: Interrupting

Enobaria's POV

I glare at Brutus as he reclaims his spot between me and his niece. "What's wrong?" he asks.

"Well for starters, when I was talking to Haymitch _someone _kicked us out of the kitchen," I say, shooting a glare in Johanna's general direction. "And I'm pretty sure the younger victors are up to something."

"Johanna kicking people out of the kitchen is nothing new Baria," Brutus says.

"Did you not hear me? Just look at those five! Tell me they're not up to something!"

Brutus looks at them for a moment. "Aren't they always up to something?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

Brutus raises an eyebrow.

"That's cheating!" I snap.

"What's cheating?" Brutus says way too innocently.

"I lost the game again!"

"Ha!" Brutus laughs.

"Really Brutus?" Clove asks, crossing her arms. "Isn't that trick getting old by now?"

"It's not my fault raising an eyebrow reminds Baria of the game, honest," Brutus says.

"Liar," she mumbles.

"Teenagers. Can you believe them?" Brutus says.

Clove turns to Cato. "Old guys. Can you believe them?"

Brutus pretends that Clove's words offended him. "Hey butt-monkey, you had it coming," I scoff.

"So what exactly do you think they're up to?" Brutus asks.

"I don't know…" I say.

Clove peeks over her uncle's head and looks at the group of victors. "You're right. They're definitely up to something."

"But what?" Brutus asks.

"So who's going to read?" Cecelia loudly interrupts us.

"I can," Chaff says getting up to take the book.

_When we finish our business at the market, _

Johanna grabs Finnick by the ear and growls something along the lines of, "Make another poop joke and you're dead meat, fish boy!" Finnick nods his head fearfully.

_we go to the back door of the mayor's house to sell half the strawberries, knowing he has a particular fondness for them and can afford our price. The mayor's daughter, Madge, opens the door. She's in my year at school. Being the mayor's daughter, you'd expect her to be a snob, but she's all right. _

"Yay stereotypes!" Clove says sarcastically. "Except for you, Effie. I think you fit in just fine with the _bratty_ Capitolites."

"What are you saying!" Effie gasps.

"Just that some stereotypes are accurate," Clove shrugs. Brutus glares at her but it doesn't seem to have any effect.

"Not all Capitolites are bad," Finnick adds. "But Effie, you really haven't proven yourself worthy of joining the Tigris group at this point."

"Sorry," Annie pipes up.

Effie glares at them, but they don't notice.

_She just keeps to herself. Like me. Since neither of us really has a group of friends, we seem to end up together a lot at school. Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sports activities. We rarely talk, which suits us both just fine. _

_Today her drab school outfit has been replaced by an expensive white dress, and her blonde hair is done up with a pink ribbon. Reaping clothes. _

"Drab," Marvel snickers. "That's a funny word."

"Oh my gosh," Clove mutters. "Will you just shut up."

"_Pretty dress," says Gale._

_Madge shoots him a look, trying to see if it's a genuine compliment or if he's just being ironic. It is a pretty dress, but she would never be wearing it ordinarily. She presses her lips together and then smiles. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?"_

_Now it's Gale's turn to be confused. Does she mean it? Or is she messing with him? I'm guessing the second._

"_You won't be going to the Capitol," says Gale coolly. His eyes land on a small, circular pin that adorns her dress. Real gold. _

"How do you know?" Finch asks. "What if it's fake gold?"

"Sweetheart," Haymitch sighs. "Even if there isn't gold in our mines, miners know what it looks like. Now will you please stop asking questions?"

"Actually, this is the first question Finch has asked this entire time," Cashmere points out. "And unlike some of the things Marvel and Finnick have asked, that was a genuine question. What's the harm in that?"

The two victors lock eyes for a moment as if they're deciding if a fight is really necessary at this point.

Their relationship is the closest thing we've ever had to hatred between two victors. Sure, there's a small chance that it's just bitterness or resentment, but it's not likely. Cashmere has held an uncharacteristic grudge over him since her first time mentoring. Although the details are fuzzy, I believe it was because he had a chance to save his tributes but was too drunk to take it. When Haymitch was finally sober, he somehow managed to remember the incident. He made the mistake of bringing it up when she was unable to send anything to a drowning tribute. Ever since then, there's been an unmistakable tension between the two.

But enough about that. Chaff's _finally _reading again.

_Beautifully crafted. It could keep a family in bread for months. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old."_

"Wow Gale, way to be rude," Clove says.

"Oh like you've ever had to take tesserae," Gale shoots back.

"_That's not her fault," I say._

Chaff pauses and repeats the line again. "See? There's absolutely no reason to fight over it."

"Exactly. Thank you Chaff," Clove says.

"_No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is," says Gale._

_Madge's face has become closed off. She puts the money for the berries in my hand. "Good luck, Katniss."_

"_You too," I say, and the door closes._

_We walk toward the Seam in silence. I don't like that Gale took a dig at Madge, but he's right, of course. The reaping system is unfair, with the poor getting the worst of it. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once. At thirteen, twice. And so on and so on until you reach the age of eighteen, the final year of eligibility, when your name goes into the pool seven times. That's true for every citizen in all twelve districts in the entire country of Panem._

"You mean, unless President Snow rigs the reapings," Johanna points out.

"What do you mean Miss Mason? The reaping system is completely fair," Snow says.

"Completely fair my butt," Johanna scoffs. "Raise your hand if you totally buy this bull-crap."

As expected, not even Effie raises her hand.

"You've even had me rig it before," Effie points out.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Snow says coolly.

"Liar-liar pants on fire," Glimmer scoffs.

_But here's the catch. Say you are poor and starving as we were. You can opt to add your name more times in exchange for tesserae. Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person. You may do this for each of your family members as well. So, at the age of twelve, I had my name entered four times. Once, because I had to, and three times for tesserae for grain and oil for myself, Prim, and my mother. In fact, every year I have needed to do this. And the entries are cumulative. So now, at the age of sixteen, my name will be in the reaping twenty times. Gale, who has been either helping or single-handedly feeding a family of five for seven years, will have his name in forty-two times._

_You can see why someone like Madge, who has never been at risk of needing a tessera, can set him off. The chance of her name being drawn is very slim compared to those of us who live in the Seam. Not impossible, but slim. And even though the rules were set up by the Capitol, not the districts, certainly not Madge's family, it's hard not to resent those who don't have to sign up for tesserae._

_Gale knows his anger at Madge is misdirected. _

"Okay, because no one's interrupted in a while, I'm going to make an announcement!" Finnick says, standing up on his chair.

"Oh no," Rue groans.

"Even I know this can't end well," Marvel agrees.

He locks eyes with Peeta and says, "I love sugar cubes. Peeta loves something too. And by that, I mean some_one_. Would you care to tell them, Peeta?"

Peeta turns a nice shade of red. "No thanks Finnick, I'm good."

"Get down you idiot," Johanna says. "This is not what I had in mind!"

"What do you mean?" Katniss asks.

"Uh oh," Johanna mumbles.

"Can you, um, you know, get back to reading, Chaff?" Gloss asks.

"Sure?" Chaff says, confused.

_On other days, deep in the woods, I've listened to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper and thereby ensure we will never trust another. "It's to the Capitol's advantage to have us divided among ourselves," he might say if there were no ears to hear but mine. If it wasn't reaping day. If a girl with a gold pin and no tesserae had not made what I'm sure she thought was a harmless comment._

_As we walk, I glance over at Gale's face, still smoldering underneath his stony expression. _

"For a second I thought you said stoner expression. That would be awkward," Finnick says. "But, you know, um… not as awkward as this."

Johanna facepalms. "Just… ignore him."

_His rages seem pointless to me, although I never say so. It's not that I don't agree with him. I do. But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn't change anything. It doesn't make things fair. It doesn't fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game. I let him yell though. Better he does it in the woods than in the district._

"You know, you should try yelling in the district sometime. It's surprisingly satisfying," Johanna says.

"I can't say the same for 12, but in 11 the Peacekeepers are pretty bad," Thresh says.

"They're rotten in 2, too," Cato agrees.

"That can't be anything compared to 7," Johanna says. "A bunch of agenda pushes, I guess."

"Then why do you…"

"They can't hurt me," Johanna interrupts, answering Gale's question.

"What do you mean?" Gale asks.

Johanna pauses and takes a deep breath. "They just can't, okay. Chaff… just… go on."

_Gale and I divide our spoils, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of good bread, greens, a quart of strawberries, salt, paraffin, and a bit of money for each._

"_See you in the square," I say._

"_Wear something pretty," he says flatly._

The five younger victors exchange a dangerous look. This _can't_ end well.

…

**Sorry if this chapter isn't quite as funny as the others. This chapter was written on nothing but stress. *cue nervous laugh***

**I'll try to write an **_**extra **_**long chapter when November is over. Or you know, at least try to get to the part where Prim gets reaped. No promises, because I can never seem to keep those.**

**And since I won't be seeing you again until December, WHO'S EXCITED FOR MOCKINGJAY! Cuz I know I am! I'm pretty much bouncing off the walls in excitement. It's only a couple days away now!**

**Quote of the day!**

"_Why do we have to learn Spanish? I'm already fluent in English and sarcasm." _

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**Spectrobes Princess**


End file.
